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The Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) recently conducted its convention in Enugu leading to the nomination of Mr Peter Mbah as its governorship candidate. In this interview, Charlie Agbo, a lawyer and chieftain of the party sat down with Fred Itua to review some issues following the convention.
The PDP convention for the nomination of the governorship candidate of the party in Enugu State has come and gone. But it seems that this exercise is markedly different from the ones that produced the last three governors, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi inclusive. Remarkably, Governor Ugwuanyi’s endorsement of his choice candidate came rather very late leading to the emergence of many candidates. What’s your take?
I should think that Governor Ugwuanyi’s options were dictated by the dynamics of the moment. When Chimaroke Nnamani was making his choice, he was not as challenged as Governor Ugwuanyi was. He was conscious of affirmative action alright; he was zone- sensitive also as evidenced by the fact that he did not endorse a candidate from his own zone of Enugu- East. But he had a wider latitude of choice to the extent that he could have endorsed Enugu- West or Enugu- North with no backlash. You get the point? Ok. When Sullivan Chime was making his endorsement, it was one-directional to the extent that only Enugu-North was left to complete the zoning tripod. He of course was also zone- sensitive and his sense of equity dictated he went the way of affirmative action, so he had the way to go already determined. But look at the scenario in Governor Ugwuanyi’s case. The clockwise zoning trajectory had hit its terminus, which was Enugu-North and several anti-clockwise proponents argued that zoning should commence its return journey from Enugu-North, you get it? But the governor had already given his commitment to the people of Enugu- East and from unfolding events was committed to keeping it. If some of us who propagate equity should be true to ourselves, keeping Enugu- East out of power beyond sixteen years would have negated the principle behind zoning.
Is it not ideal to have a governor for all of Enugu State as against a Governor for Enugu-East. You are talking as if there is a special benefit to a people whose zone produces the governor. Are you then encouraging prebendalism?
Let’s just confront this head-on. Yes, there are benefits that can accrue to a people with power. This is not about prebendalism. We are largely an underdeveloped society. If you crawl out of your crib possibly without good roads or even no motorable road at all and also no electricity, I bet you can begin to fantasize on what you can do with power if given the opportunity. It is said that charity begins at home. Every part of Enugu State has equal rights to development. This is not in doubt. But resources are scarce. If government decides to ration available resources, not all communities will access development at the same time. This is the uncomfortable truth. This is why every zone craves power. It is not to knowingly exclude others or to pluck the juiciest resources, but to guarantee that equity spreads across the three senatorial zones. Even if for psychological reason, a people have a right to feel a sense of belonging. Why are countries clamouring to be part of the permanent membership of the United Nations?
But Ekweremadu made a strong case for the Greater Awgu and posited that there were four cultural zones, that the other three zones in Enugu had had their turns to the exclusion of his zone.
I don’t think he made a strong case. He made a rather spirited case which was running against the tide. The issues involved have already been canvassed and addressed severally; therefore do not need being repeated here. But it is important as we look at the post mortem to mention that it was one of the factors that complicated the process for Governor Ugwuanyi. I suspect that Governor Ugwuanyi kept his endorsement till the last minute because he wanted to appear democratic, just to placate Ekweremadu. Now, this led to several candidates joining the race. But endorsement in my view does not need to be more democratic than it is. An endorsement is simply an endorsement. It is within the rights of the governor to indicate his inclination based on his own parameters.
But don’t you think that endorsement is the problem?
How can endorsement be the problem? Politics has a soul. In the US, there is the phenomenon of favoured sons and favoured daughters. Donald Trump has been making endorsements both in and out of office. Collin Powell used the instrument of endorsement, across party lines to call attention to the urgency of electing Obama, a democrat, the first black president. But he was and remained a Republican till death.
But in our clime here, endorsement seems to shut out the other candidates and even expose them to reprisal should they move against the choice of the governor.
That is not true. Go and look at the Ebonyi case, which I consider the locus classicus here. In 2015, Governor Elechi annointed Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu as his governorship candidate. But the party apparatchik said no. They successfully contested his endorsement, leading to the routing of Professor Chukwu. He was supplanted with Dave Umahi. An endorsement speaks to the hold the governor has on the party. Some governors are actually popular, and their words could become law to the party’s rank and file.
How then can this be democratic, when one man decides for the party?
It is democratic to the extent that the party apparatchik can reject it as was done in Ebonyi. It is democratic to the extent that the delegates can vote against the governor’s choice. But you can see that the choice of the delegates in Enugu was unanimous and decisive. Like I said, politics has a soul, and requires men to sculpt its forms and contours. I am all for endorsement.
A few days after the nomination of Peter Mbah as the governorship candidate, almost all the aspirants who lost to him congratulated him and pledged to work with him. How do you look at that gesture?
Their action is very commendable. It is in tandem with the finest democratic culture the world over. If you can’t be a good loser, you can’t be a good winner. If a pebble is thrown into a packed stadium, it will fall on only one man’s head. It is noteworthy that the candidates had all signed a document before the election, pledging to accept the result of the election and also to support whoever wins. Giving effect to that pledge holds them out as democrats. What sustains democracy all over the world is respect for process. It is the respect for existing order whether it is in your favour or not; that qualifies you to be counted today and tomorrow as a true democrat. When the process wins, everybody wins. Look at the resounding referendum on zoning. The Enugu model should be emulated across the federation. Even those yet to be born have been given pre-natal notice of where the governorship candidate of the PDP will come from in 2031. This is modernity. This is civilization. When a people strategize to hold down the demon of power, they strategise to control power rather than let power control them.
Anybody who witnessed the governorship convention of the National Republican Convention in the early 90s in Enugu State will agree that that level of rancour is not good for any people who are otherwise brothers and sisters. Politics is not fisticuff. Politics is not war. We should continue to encourage ourselves to do politics within the modest limit of order so as to be welcomed by posterity as democrats. By definitively squelching the opposition to zoning, we have written our names in gold for posterity.
